


Hired Hand (Five Things Mix)

by inalasahl



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: 5 Things, Gen, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2018-01-22 00:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1569497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inalasahl/pseuds/inalasahl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five jobs Jayne walked away from.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hired Hand (Five Things Mix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Redrikki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Firefly, In Brief](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1357492) by [Redrikki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki). 



> The archive doesn't seem to link to individual "chapters" in the inspired field. This work was remixed solely from ["Fine Print."](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1357492/chapters/2834356)

**His First**

Jayne has to stand on a box to see the folks in the peep hole, then drag it aside to open the door as he lets folks in to Mr. Kade's place, and his arms and legs are already tired before the night's half over, but it's good money, ten whole in cash, so he keeps at it and tries not to think of the bed he snuck out of.

When his pa shows up looking madder than a wet hen and using Jayne's middle name, he almost doesn't open the door to him. But a couple of the fellas notice Jayne's hesitation and start drawing and Jayne kicks the box aside quickly afore someone gets shot.

Pa doesn't even look around the room, just grabs Jayne by his ear and starts dragging him out with a cuff upside the head for good measure. Jayne takes the blow and glares up at his pa from underneath his bangs, biting his lip hard not to cry. Tears spring up anyhow, and he's so embarrassed he can't keep the outraged betrayal off of his face. "You're always saying —" Jayne begins, but his father cuts him off before he can finish.

"Ain't nothing I ever said about you getting mixed up with Kade," his dad spits.

"You druther he become a miner, Paul?" Mr. Kade's voice behind them is soft, but cold, and it's enough to stop Jayne struggling.

"Meaning no disrespect," his pa says. "But the boy's still in school."

"He's big for his age. He's dumb. Boys like him got two choices around here, mining or me." Jayne's eyes are full of tears now, too blurry to see much but the shine of the moon on Mr. Kade's shoes. "And no son of yours is going down the mines, ain't that right?"

"I want whatever's going to get him to 25, Kade," his pa says. Jayne's proud of how tall his dad stands, even as a bunch of folk come pouring out of Mr. Kade's place and line up behind him.

Mr. Kade laughs. "Well, now, that's a toss-up." Mr. Kade crouches down and looks at Jayne. "Well, son," you still a kid? You want to go home with your daddy or stay here with me?"

Jayne doesn't know what's going on, but he plasters himself to his dad's side and doesn't meet Mr. Kade's eyes. After a moment, Mr. Kade stands back up. "You picked up that shipment from Qin Shi Huang I was expecting, Paul?"

"Dropped 'em off at Hattie's."Mr. Kade's shoes walk off.

Jayne's pa wipes the tears off of Jayne's face, all the fight gone out of him. "You work for him, Pa," he says plaintively.

"There's more to picking a job than the money they offer, son." He puts an arm around Jayne's shoulder as they start for home. "I got to stay here with your ma and you kids. But Jayne, you can go anywhere. There's nothing wrong with taking a job with a man whose business is off sides of the law, but Kade ain't no man. He's a snake, and he's as liable to bite you as pay you, dong ma?"

Jayne nods, but it'll be a few years yet before he understands.

* * *

**The Sheriff's Offer**

He's 14 the time his father comes to pick him up from the sheriff. He sits with his foot propped up in a chair next to the sheriff's desk as the dermal mender finishes patching the graze on his leg and stares at his feet while the two men talk. The floor hasn't been swept. "Now, don't worry, he's been sitting here quiet as a lamb the whole time and she's willing to overlook the whole thing if someone pays the damages." His stomach rolls just a little as his father counts out the bills from his hat. It's a month of goods, at least.

"He with anyone?"

"He says no." The Sheriff rubs her face. "If he testified —"

"He's had a long day, Sheriff. Maybe we can drop by tomorrow to talk about it."

The sheriff gives his father a hard glare. "You do that. She might be willing to drop the charges, but I like to make sure that youthly high spirits don't become a bigger problem for my town."

When they get outside, Jayne's expecting his pa to cuff him like last time, but he only tells him to get on the mule. He can't see anything somehow, so it's not until they stop that Jayne realizes they're not home.

"Your ma don't know about this, Jayne. She don't know about any of it. She don't have to know either. It'd break her heart." His father took a deep breath. "So I'm gonna tell her you run off." Jayne lifts his eyes then, but his father's already getting out of the wagon. "Come on," he calls back.

"Pa," Jayne begins.

"Now you make sure to write your ma in a couple of months," his dad barrels on. "You hear me, son?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, I've got you a nice place on this boat." He shoves a sack into Jayne's hands. "You'd never make it to the courthouse, Jayne."

Jayne rouses at that. "I wouldn't snitch," he snaps.

"Man like Kade won't take that chance." His pa squeezes his shoulder. "Don't come back."

"Yes, sir." It takes some time for the boat to let down her door, and Jayne's eyesight gets blurrier and blurrier every moment.

When he looks at the sack later, it contains a change of clothes, two oranges, a ham sandwich and a postal chit.

* * *

**Marco's**

Jayne thinks quick, and shoots Marco in the leg. "Shut up," he says. He looks at the man in the brown coat. "How big a room?"

The room's big, bigger at least than the one he shared on Marco's ship, and the blanket on the bunk is clean.

He hadn't expected the captain to take such exception to the proposition he made the pretty little mechanic, but all jobs had their quirks. He's rusty, but his mama taught him how to watch his mouth. If the captain wants to play like he's a gentleman, Jayne don't mind. The food's lese, but plentiful, and with a ten percent cut, he'll be able to send more of it home.

Yeah, he can see himself staying here. At least for a ways.

* * *

**Serenity**

He hadn't signed on for this, Jayne thought, tucking Boo into his duffel and hefting his bag up on his shoulder.

He can't really explain why his stomach is in knots, River'd probably poisoned the grub. Hell if he knew how he'd gotten talked into staying this long in the first place. No profit in it.

Maybe Shepherd Book had reminded him of his father a bit, but that hardly explained why he'd been so stupid. Three people were dead, and Jayne kept thinking of that look in Zoe's eyes, heart clean busted. Shouldn't make him teary-eyed; he didn't even like that smart-ass pilot. It's not like he misses him; it's not like he'll miss any of them.

It just didn't make sense. Better to get out now. There's a port here. Makes as good a leaving place as any. He hefts his bag up on his shoulder, tucks Vera against his side and goes to ask Mal for his final cut.

* * *

**Good Money**

Jayne huddles over his duffel while he cleans his guns and stares balefully at the floor doubling as a spittoon. Mal would have taken exception, but then there's a lot of things Mal hadn't allowed. Since signing on with this crew, Jayne's been in three fights to prove his stuff was his. Last time it had taken a grenade to get the little one to back off, and the captain had just laughed the whole time.

He's beginning to wonder if the money's so good, because they just kill each other when ever they want a bigger cut. He sure as hell wouldn't turn his back on this crew, nor trust them to watch it. It makes him feel old, and the money's not worth it.

But it's not like he's easy or anything. So when River drops down through the ceiling and cold cocks all of them, he don't even look up. "What?" he snaps, sullen, not at all impressed.

"I can _still_ kill you with my brain."

"You can't either," Jayne says and tries to sound as if he means it. She rolls her eyes and cocks her head like a challenge. With a sigh, he takes the line and clips it on, giving it a tug. He hooks his duffel as he's lifted up.

"Mal and Zoe've been arrested," Kaylee announces breathlessly as the pod door closes behind them. "We need to go bust them out."

"Yeah?" Jayne asks, crossing his arms.

"I told you he wouldn't help," Simon says, prissy-faced and pert like usual.

"Course I won't _help,_ " Jayne says, disgusted at the very notion. He rummages in his duffel for his ma's latest gift, eye-catching pink and fancible with a brim to shade his eyes. He jams it on his head. "But I'll take the job."


End file.
